| Miss America 1954 | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 12, 1953 |
| Venue | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Entrants | 52 |
| Placements | 10 |
| Winner | Evelyn Margaret Ay Pennsylvania |
| Congeniality | Patricia Ann Condon (New Jersey) |
Miss America 1954, the 27th Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on September 12, 1953. Though four women from Pennsylvania had previously held the title (1924, 1935, 1936, 1940), Evelyn Margaret Ay was the first Miss Pennsylvania to be crowned Miss America, as the others represented cities. [1] [2]
Actress and princess-to-be Grace Kelly was one of the year's judges.
A Top 10 finisher in the pageant, Miriam Stevenson, subsequently won the 1954 Miss USA pageant, representing South Carolina. She then proceeded to be crowned Miss Universe 1954.
Similarly, Carlene King Johnson, unsuccessful as Miss Vermont in the 1954 Miss America pageant, became Miss USA 1955.
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| Placement | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss America 1954 | |
| 1st Runner-Up |
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| 2nd Runner-Up |
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| 3rd Runner-Up |
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| 4th Runner-Up |
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| Top 10 |
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| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Lifestyle and Fitness |
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| Talent |
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| Awards | Contestant |
|---|---|
| Miss Congeniality |
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| Non-finalist Talent |
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| State | Name | Hometown | Age | Talent | Placement | Awards | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Alabama | Virginia McDavid | Birmingham | 18 | Monologue, "Tara" from Gone with the Wind | 3rd runner-up | ||
 Arizona | Betty Lou Lindly | Tempe | Piano | ||||
 Arkansas | Helen Reed | Fayetteville | Tap Dance | ||||
 California | Patricia Johns | Fresno | Dramatic Monologue from The Country Girl | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | ||
 Canada | Kathleen "Kathy" Ann Archibald | Kelowna | |||||
 Chicago | Carol Segermark | Chicago | Vocal | ||||
 Colorado | Mary Donclan | Keenesburg | Dramatic Monologue from Of Mice and Men | ||||
 Connecticut | Sally Middleton | Hartford | Dance | ||||
 Delaware | Lois Anne Alava | Wilmington | Piano, "Concerto in A Minor" | Top 10 | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
 District of Columbia | Helen Smith | Washington, D.C. | 19 | Dance | |||
 Florida | Marjorie Simmons | Tampa | Dance, "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" | ||||
 Georgia | Lucia Hutchinson | Macon | 22 | Operatic Vocal, "Mon cœur s'oure à ta voix" & "Love is Where You Find it" | |||
 Hawaii | Dorothy Leilani Ellis | Lihue | Hula | ||||
 Idaho | Jane Bostic | New Plymouth | Vocal, "All the Things You Are" | ||||
 Illinois | Jacquie Dumbauld | Alton | Piano/Dance | ||||
 Indiana | Violet Wratich | East Chicago | Vocal | ||||
 Iowa | Constance VerHoef | Sheldon | 18 | Vocal | |||
 Kansas | Joanne Milnar | Hutchinson | 23 | Water Ballet | |||
 Kentucky | Emily Rucker | Berea | Vocal | ||||
 Louisiana | Sonya Lee LeBlanc | Baton Rouge | Dance | ||||
 Maine | Karen Diane Thorsall | Portland | Vocal | ||||
 Maryland | Meta France Justice | Crisfield | Vocal, "Ave Maria" | ||||
 Massachusetts | Lois Feldman | Natick | Ballet | ||||
 Michigan | Velva Irene Robbins | Dowagiac | Speech, "Education" | ||||
 Minnesota | Idell Hulin | Minneapolis | Vocal | ||||
 Mississippi | Suzanne Dugger | Picayune | Vocal Medley & Dance, "Bill" & "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" | 4th runner-up | |||
 Missouri | Laura Holmes | Northwoods | Dance | ||||
 Nebraska | Diana Louise Hann | Lincoln | Art | ||||
 Nevada | Jeannine McColl | Las Vegas | Dance | ||||
 New Hampshire | Elaine Ruggles | New Castle | Vocal | ||||
 New Jersey | Patricia Condon | Maplewood | Vocal | Miss Congeniality | |||
 New York | Jeannine Bowman | Rome | Drama | ||||
 New York City | Joan Kaible | New York City | Classical Vocal, "Qual fiamma avea nel guardo" from Pagliacci | 1st runner-up | |||
 North Carolina | Barbara Crockett | Winston-Salem | Vocal, "Shine" | ||||
 North Dakota | Marilyn Wentz | Napoleon | Vocal | ||||
 Ohio | Martha Zimmerman | Salem | Drama/Piano | ||||
 Oklahoma | Lorene Washburn | Tulsa | Vocal | ||||
 Oregon | Patti Throop | Portland | Dramatic Reading, "Patterns" | Top 10 | |||
 Pennsylvania | Evelyn Margaret Ay | Ephrata | 20 | Poetry Recitation, "Footsteps" from Leaves from a Grass-House by Don Blanding | Winner | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award | |
 Puerto Rico | Nydia Power | ||||||
 Rhode Island | Joyce Sandberg | Providence | Drama | Later Miss Rhode Island USA 1954 | |||
 South Carolina | Miriam Stevenson | Winnsboro | 20 | Tap Dance | Top 10 | Later Miss South Carolina USA 1954, Miss USA 1954 , & Miss Universe 1954
| |
 South Dakota | Delores Jerde | Spearfish | Piano | Preliminary Talent Award
| |||
 Tennessee | Ruth Ann Barker | Trenton | Vocal | ||||
 Texas | Paula Lane | Cleburne | Fashion Design & Speech | ||||
 Utah | Ina Lavon Brown | Provo | Drama | ||||
 Vermont | Carlene King Johnson | Rutland | Dance | Later Miss Vermont USA 1955, Miss USA 1955, & semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1955 | |||
 Virginia | Anne Lee Ceglis | Norfolk | Classical Vocal, "Un Bel Di" from Madama Butterfly | 2nd runner-up | Preliminary Talent Award | ||
 Washington | Geraldine Lindsey | Seattle | Vocal | ||||
 West Virginia | Patricia Stewart | Pineville | Vocal & Impersonations | ||||
 Wisconsin | Judith Jacobsen | Wauwatosa | 19 | Vocal & Dance, "Make Believe" & "Come Back to Sorrento" | |||
 Wyoming | Elaine Lois Holkenbrink | Torrington | Fashion Display | Top 10 | Preliminary Lifestyle & Fitness Award |
The Miss Minnesota USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Minnesota in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by Future Productions based in Savage, Minnesota since its inception in 1995, which also directs the state pageants for Colorado, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The Miss Nebraska USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state Nebraska in the Miss USA pageant. The pageant is directed by Vanbros & Associates, headquartered in Shawnee, Kansas. In 2002, Nebraska joined the Vanbros group of state pageants for the Miss USA and Teen USA system.
The Miss South Carolina USA competition, previously known as Miss South Carolina Universe, is the pageant that selects the representative for the state South Carolina in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant has been produced by Paula Miles, the sister of Miss South Carolina USA 1979, Janice McDonald, since 1980, and it has been directed by RPM Productions.
Miriam Jacqueline Stevenson is an American former actress, television host, model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1954. She was the first American to win the title and had previously been crowned Miss USA 1954. Prior to Miss USA, Stevenson was Miss South Carolina USA 1954. She also represented South Carolina in Miss America 1954 after winning Miss South Carolina 1953, where she placed in the top ten.
Miss Wyoming is a state-level pageant which sends winners to compete for the title of Miss America. The competition, which awards scholarships, is open to women aged 19 through 28.
The Miss New York USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the State of New York in the Miss USA pageant. It is directed by D&D Productions.
Miss Arkansas USA, previously known as Miss Arkansas Universe, is the beauty pageant that selects the representative for the state of Arkansas in the Miss USA pageant, and the name of the title held by that winner. The pageant is directed by Vanbros and Associates.
The Miss Pennsylvania USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss USA pageant. It has been previously known as Miss Pennsylvania Universe. This pageant is independently conducted and produced by Proctor Productions based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was produced by Sanders & Associates, Inc., dba- Pageant Associates based in Buckhannon, West Virginia from 2001 to 2020. Since 2020 the pageant based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represented Virginia in the Miss America pageant since the 1930s. Four Miss Virginia winners have gone on to be crowned Miss America, including former national titleholder Caressa Cameron.
The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss America Scholarship Competition.
The Miss Missouri competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the U.S. state of Missouri in the Miss America pageant.
The Miss Georgia competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Georgia in the Miss America pageant.
The Miss Michigan competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Michigan has won the Miss America crown on five occasions.
The Miss Pennsylvania competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Pennsylvania in the Miss America pageant. Pennsylvania, including early years' city representatives, has won the Miss America crown on five occasions.
Mrs. America Pageant is a beauty competition that was established to honor married women throughout the United States of America. Each of the contestants representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia ranges in age from their 20s to 50s and earns the right to participate in the national event by winning her state competition. These state events are under the direction of Mrs. America state directors. The winner goes on to compete in the Mrs. World pageant.
Miss Universe 1954 was the third Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 24 July 1954.
The United States has continuously sent a representative to Miss World since its inception in 1951. The United States has won the Miss World crown three times in 1973, 1990 and 2010. Currently, Miss World America is the official national pageant that selects the contestant from the United States to Miss World.
Miss USA 1954 was the third Miss USA pageant, held at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California on July 24, 1954.
Miss USA 1953 was the second Miss USA pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California on July 16, 1953.
